February 6, 2006Open Access
View Full PaperAre Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Shocks a Surrogate for Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy?
Structured PICO
Are appropriate ICD shocks a surrogate for sudden cardiac death in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy?
P
Population
Patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy
I
Intervention
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
O
Outcome
Appropriate ICD shocks versus Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)
Appropriate ICD shocks may overestimate the true risk of sudden cardiac death in nonischemic cardiomyopathy due to the frequent spontaneous termination of ventricular tachycardia.
Abstract
Appropriate ICD shocks occur more frequently than SCD in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. This suggests that episodes of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia frequently terminate spontaneously in such patients.